Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

I experimented with setting up a tarp for shelter in the backyard yesterday evening. I set it up several different ways using trees, tent poles, stakes and nylon line. After about 5 different set ups, one that I really liked, but used 4- 18 inch tent poles, and the advice from a friend, I settled on two corners suspended with nylon line to trees, and two corners staked in the ground.

The rain was coming straight down, so I didn't worry to much about it blowing in , and left a little more room than I might if the wind was blowing.

After tinkering with it a little more, I laid a groundsheet down and a sleeping pad. I crawled in and had my first experience under a tarp.

As opposed to a tent, which is zipped up tight when its raining, I was able to look around, even though it was pouring, and still stay dry. I could definitely see the need for a bivy if there was any wind at all. But on this night I was dry.

I decided to put it to the test and after the family went to bed, I got my sleeping gear and headed out for the night. The only issue with sleeping in the backyard in a lightweight camping set up, is that my bed is 50 feet away.

I slept fairly well and stayed dry, but when I woke up at 1 am, I succumbed to the call of my warm bed....

I went out this morning to take a look. I realized that the center seam is not taped and therefore there was a line of water right across my sleeping pad. I'll have to dry it out and seal it, then try again. I think I'm going to like this set up. Adding a lightweight bivy will help too.

Friday, September 24, 2010

We rolled out of the parking lot at 5:35 pm. The start time has been changed to accommodate the earlier setting of the sun. It was the second day of fall and the temps were getting close to 90 degrees. My legs were feeling especially sluggish and I knew I didn't have what it would take to keep up to the normal pace.

Fortunately for me, we started out fairly mellow. We rode down the parkway, taking the long way around. Biltmore Park had complained about our short cut, and the BRP shut it down, putting up a no hiking/biking sign. Now we have to ride an extra 4 miles, partially down 191, one of the busiest most dangerous roads in the area. Not to mention having to make a blind left turn across traffic, the traffic going 45-55mph through this turn. In addition, the extra mileage is causing us to get back to the shop right at dusk, adding to the danger. Maybe Biltmore Park will change their mind before someone gets hurt.

We rode and chatted, some went off the front, others kept it steady, I dug deep. My legs hurt but I was still able to hang on for the most part. I think the issue though is me.

I'm a bit tired of going fast, training to get faster. It's the end of my season, and I"m ready to ride more for fun. I told Jubal that my body was tired and I needed a break, explaining to him the concept of the " off-season". He asked" Why doesn't Jeremiah Bishop get ever get tired?". He was serious too.

It seemed that I was not the only one feeling tired, the pace was high, but not as high as it has been. I think I'm in the mood for a social ride or two.

My race season is over and I don't have anything concrete planned. I'm mulling over some ideas and waiting for the right time. I could talk about it here, but then when it fails I would have to explain why the plans failed. So, instead, I'll just make you wait.....

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Yesterday, I enjoyed some coffee, met Chris Robinson, had an encouraging phone call, went for a bike ride, got peed on by my dog, got an order for a Tie Dye (for a cause), played at the park, ate some fresh eggs from our backyard chickens, and almost converted my Siren 55 SL to single speed but decided to wait.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

12 mile hill climb, starts in Dupont Forest and ends on top of private property. I started with the group and and held on until we hit the climb up the pavement to Guion Farms. It was going to be a long week and I was in conservation mode. The ride went well, up some steep techy trails, and then onto some gravel road. On the road I passed John and Rob, who I would be competing against for 7th place all week. I topped out 3 minutes behind 5th place for a solid 6th.

Stage 2: re-cap.

The White Squirrel Loop : My HR monitor battery died, and I didn't know what effort I was putting out. This was not good for me. I needed to know, but I did the best that I could and started out easy. I felt good until I got halfway between rest stop 2 and 3. I knew that I had pushed too hard, made it to rest stop 3 and sat down for 30 minutes. John and Rob got 30 minutes on me, as well as Matt who was ahead of me, but only had 3 minutes. Today that turned into 43 ish minutes..... There was not much I could do about it, except maybe check my equipment the night before the race. I was finally able to get up and get to the finish: 5 hrs 34 mins.

Stage 3: re-cap.

Land of the Waterfalls: This was a fun point to point, starting at the Kuykendall Group Campground. Today included Farlow, Cove Creek and Daniel Ridge. I rode my own pace and was alone most of the day. I focused on going my limit and enjoying the day. The weather was awesome, the rest stops were great, the trails are some of the best in the country. It could not get better. I'm not sure of my finish time, but I know that I finish 4 minutes down on John and I was able to gain a little time on Rob. I was 60 ish minutes behind Matt.

Stage 4:

The Promised Land Loop: Todd sent us up Black Mtn to Turkey Pen. 1 hr plus hike a bike, some riding, some hiking, some riding etc. That was the day. On the first hike a bike, I was hiking behind John, Rob was behind me. I was feeling good, taking it easy so I didn't blow up too soon. I saw John take a heavy step, showing a little bit of fatigue, decided that it was time, with another 20 minutes of hiking, to pick up the pace. I never saw him again. Halfway between rest stop 1 and 2 I ran out of water. I had some sports drink left but I knew that I needed water. I kept my pace steady and focused on staying smooth. Going down Horse Cove Rd, I, in Matt's words, " blew past him". At this point though, I didn't realize that he was the one in front of me in the category. I didn't care though, I big ringed it to the next rest stop. Filled up on water, ate a pb and j and headed up the trail. Matt never caught me. Matt is really strong on the down hill techy though, so I only put a few minutes on him, closing the gap to 50 minutes. The race for 6th is on.

Stage 5:

Transylvania Loop : I was looking forward to this loop. Taking the pavement to Turkey Pen Trailhead, through the river crossings, up to Yellow Gap, up Laurel, down Pilot, 1206, Club Gap, Avery Creek, Clawhammer, Maxwell Cove, Black Mtn to the finish. One of my favorites.

I sat with the leaders on the pavement, wanting to get that free ride to the trails. I tucked in and held on. Almost giving up on the false flat going up the steep climbs, but hung on to coast down the other side. Recovering quickly, I pulled forward, tapping Chris Strout, my Siren/ WRB teammate, to lead him out. Not much of a lead out, but I took my turn at the front, giving the likes of Jeremy Bishop and Andy Johnston a breather.

Another beautiful day in the woods, I set a steady pace and enjoyed it. Matt passed me on the first single track and I didn't know if I would see him again. I wound around, over the mountains, following wide roads and 12 inch wide slivers of single track. Lot's of thoughts briefly crossing my mind, but just as quickly pushing the aside to focus on where I was and what I was doing: riding my bike and breathing fresh air. I'm blessed. There are so many people out there suffering far worse than me. I soaked it all in. The sunshine, the fresh air, the smells of the forest.

I wound around the course, hiking part of Club Gap, on down Avery and up Clawhammer. As I turned onto Maxwell Cove, I spotted Matt. This climb is roughly 20-30 minutes long. Did I have enough to put some time into him? Should I talk smack and try to get into his head? I passed him, told him " good job" and kept spinning. I was hot and overheating. I dumped water over my head. Knowing that there were 3 false summits on this climb, I pushed it, dumping water on my head to cool down on each short decent, then pushed up the next one. I glanced back a couple of times but did not see Matt. Could I put the 60ish minutes into him? Was he going to bonk? I hit the last hike a bike section with passion. Threw the bike on my back and powered up to the top. Once on the top, I let loose ( conservatively) but I definitely pushed my limits on the downhill. Knowing that Matt was fast downhill, I took a few chances and road the line to the ride of the stairs. Hitting the jumps full tilts was a blast and rounding that last bend before the finish was exhilarating.

Rhonda, Jubal, Kim and Kate were there, yelling. Todd came over to congratulate me, handing me the finisher's medal. Matt rolled in a few minutes later....

It was a great ride, and a personal success, mentally and physically. I now have the rest of my life to look forward to.Editor's note: times might not be precise...
Have a great day!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

I woke up long before the alarm went off at 6am. I felt rested and hungry but cherished the time in bed. Soon enough I would be expending a whole lot of energy, wishing I could lay down and sleep. When the alarm finally went off, I rolled out of bed and started my morning routine. After a bite of banana bread and a sip of coffee, things didn't feel right.

I was nauseous. Why, I don't know. But here it was and it would plague me all day long. I couldn't eat, but could fortunately drink. I sipped on water and electrolytes. After getting everything loaded and getting the family moving to school, I headed out. I still didn't feel good, so stopped and bought a Coke. That helped a little bit. Then I started nibbling on my Fritos that I had with me. That helped too. I was never able to get a good breakfast before the start.

Today's start was remote. It was not convenient. But it is what it is. Todd's instructions at the start were for each of us to do a summersault or a cartwheel at the end of the Lemans start. I chose the cartwheel, and we were off.

First up was a 12 mile climb up to Farlow Gap. Down Farlow, still battling nausea, but able to drink and nibble on foods. I found that if I ate a little bit, every 10-15 minutes, it seemed to be working for me. So, that's what I did for the rest of the day.

I had my heart rate monitor working today too, and was able to monitor my pace a lot better. As I sit here typing this, Thursday evening, I feel better than I did yesterday. Although, a bit sleepy. That's why I'm going to cut this story short and go to bed.

I ended up alone for most of the day, which is fine with me. I could focus on the ride.

It was great to see the Pisgah Area Sorba people out there, along with other friends. It's also fun to line up with my teammate Chris Strout. Huge shout out to Nolan, hanging out alone out in the middle of nowhere at Buckhorn Gap. It would've been way cooler if he had a bagpipe and a kilt. Maybe next year?

Despite my illness, I definitely enjoyed the day on the bike. My goal is to finish each stage and so far I have. I rolled across the in 5hrs and 56 minutes. Not bad for 40 plus miles and close to 12,000 ft of climbing!

Tomorrow's stage starts with a death march up Black Mountain, to Turkey Pen......

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The day started well enough. Coffee and french toast with the kid. I decided to leave about 15 minutes early. I headed out and knew that I would be in rush hour traffic, but I wasn't expecting what happened. Several minutes after taking the above picture and feeling like everything was going smoothly, I ran into traffic backed up on 191. I panicked a little bit and followed the line of 5000 other cars all going the same direction.

Somehow, I made it to the Start/Finish with 15 minutes to spare. I got changed and warmed up a little bit. I had woken up with a bit of congestion and was feeling a little groggy.

We lined up, the gun went off and we rolled out. It was neutral up the pavement until we turned off on the gravel road. My heart rate monitor was not working today, so I was worried that I would push too hard. I would find out later, that I did, and I paid for it.

Highlights of the day included, riding my bike, being outside, smelling the freshness out in the middle of nowhere.

Lows were when it got hot around 11 am, 2 hrs into the race and didn't really let up. I tried to go slow enough to keep my heart rate low, but I don't know if I did or not.

5 miles from rest stop 3 I was not feeling good and put it in an easy gear to spin. I got to the rest stop and stripped down to my shorts. Tyler, Karlos and Van might have been concerned that I was delirious and about to strip all the way, but they didn't say anything. I ended up hanging out with them for about 30 minutes while I recovered enough to move on. The next 6 miles included some tough hike a bike sections and I wasn't looking forward to it. I managed to not think about it too much and kept going.

When I finally crossed the finish line, I was relieved. 40 miles- 5hrs.

I yo yoed back and forth with a couple of guys who ended up passing me while I was sitting at the rest stop. I have no idea where I am now in the standings and that is a good thing. I figure I can try to beat someone and put myself out of the race by pushing too hard, or I can go my pace and let the cards fall where they fall. I'm going with the latter.

The drive to the start was uneventful. After dropping the kid off at school I pointed the truck towards Dupont and headed out. I was surprisingly calm and for once, having no stomach issues. Plain pasta the night before must work.

As I drove, a lot of things crossed my mind. I focused on the positive and pushed back the negative.

Driving across Dupont on the gravel road was freeing, for some reason, and then the road turned up, to the top of the private mountain that held the Start/ Finish for today's stage.

They were having trouble getting the water to work so I was asked to take over the flagman duties. I didn't mind at all. This is what I looked like. Maybe that is my new career path...

I got changed and chatted with the other racers who had signed up for this challenge. We met at the start line and rolled out for a neutral warm up, 7 miles mostly downhill to the official start. In the grassy field, Todd told us to place our bikes at one end then walk back about 50yrds for a Lemond Start.

The peleton took on a pretty stiff pace pretty quickly. Patrick rolled up and asked " Whatcha got man, whatcha got?", and promptly attempted to run me off the road. I understood then that he was out for blood. You'll see what I got, soon enough...

I backed off to roll at my own pace. I knew what I had to do, and I did it. I let the people go. I was quickly surprised when I realized that I was not in last place. After things settled down though, I did not get passed. I only reeled in and passed others. We wound around some steep techy uphill trails then dumped onto a gravel road. The road tilted up, then turned into pavement, which tilted up some more. Turning onto some singletrack, we wound around the mountain until we finally hit the switchbacks of death. Very much like Kitsuma's switchbacks, only a steeper grade and grassy. I finally reached the top and crossed the line in 1hr 18mins.

Checking the results later, I found out that I was only 2 minutes off of 4th place in the Men's Open Cat. Cool.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The past couple of weeks has been a struggle. Working through all of the emotions and rejection. Talking with friends and regaining confidence in myself. Ignoring the negative voices in my head and teaching the positive voices to speak up, drowning out the others. In the past I would have run back and begged to be told what I did wrong and what I could do better. It's funny, in other's eyes, there are always things I should do differently. I find that it's the ones who care, who don't always tell me the different way I should have done things, but they let me do it my way. If the result is the same....well, let it go, I did.

The World Bicycle Relief Blog post yesterday was such a huge encouragement. After considering not racing at all, I got the push in the right direction that I needed, just at the right time. Thanks Katie and WBR.

So now, I'm ready to go kick some tail. I'm going to give it what I've got, and enjoy the ride.

Friday, September 10, 2010

I was a little concerned about the Thursday night ride last night. Stress has a way of sapping energy. The legs can feel fine, but the mind can be tired and lacking motivation.

A lot of new guys showed up which was cool. But this does change the dynamic of the ride quite a bit and things tend to get fast and less smooth.

I was not feeling great and actually thinking about turning back and spinning home alone. For some reason, I just wasn't able to get on it. I felt sluggish and tired.

At the second re-group, about 30 minutes into the ride, Kevin informed me that our avg speed was close to 22 mph. Ok, so that's why I was hurting, I was maintaining 22 mph, I don't do that. I don't train for that, and I can't ride that fast alone, on this terrain. That explains why I was hurting so bad. With that knowledge, I realized that I was not doing as poorly as I thought. If our avg had been 18 mph, I would have been worried, but since I was pushing so hard, it was ok.

We wound around the farmland, with talk of splitting into two groups. It almost happened a couple of times, but never did. At one point I looked back and had a 50 yd gap, I maintained my speed and looked back again, I had about 100yds. Ok, cool. I rounded the bend and headed down a small hill. I didn't look back, just got aero and gently sped up. With some luck, I could make the next two turns, and if the group got stopped by traffic, I could get out of sight. Somehow, that is exactly what happened. I got out of sight and I was redlined. I kept spinning, eased off a little bit to recover, but for some reason, my heartrate would not drop, so I kept pedaling.

It's lonely out front. Going solo. Kind of the same feeling when one sticks up for what's right. I can either fall back and drift with the crowd, or stick my neck out and go for it. I like to think that I am a "go for it" kind of guy.

This time, I went for it. But to what avail, there was no prize, no real competition, I was not trying to prove anything to anyone, I knew that with the strong guys in the group behind me, I should not be able to stay out long. Why did I do it?

Because I wanted to. I saw a chance and went for it. That's life. When you see a chance to go for something you do it. When you see a chance to confront an issue, to make your surroundings better, to request respect, you do it. Kindly and gently, but you do it. Sometimes you take a chance and the people around you don't respond in a positive manner, they are threatened by your courage, things don't turn out so well. So what do you do? Keep on taking chances.

Today, I took that chance and I stayed away longer than I thought I could. It made me just a wee bit stronger, in my mind if not also in my legs and lungs.

Halfway up a longish hill, I turned around and saw the group, I upped the pace a hair, but just didn't have anymore to give. Chris passed me and I jumped on his wheel. At the next intersection, we regrouped. It was getting dark and we took a short cut home.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

I rode Bent Creek last night. It felt good and wasn't so great all in one. Stress saps so much energy. It feels like I am carrying extra weight on the bike. I look around at the beauty, but it's clouded by my mind. I try to focus on the positive, I try to trust, but it doesn't feel like its working. I can't rely on my feelings, gotta keep my head up, keep moving forward.

Probably the most difficult thing about being unemployed is the feeling of worthlessness.

I'm used to doing something, contributing. To society, to my family, to my co-workers. But now, nothing. I'm here, wandering around in a cloud, feeling lost and helpless. Just waiting for that dream job to come along.

Actually, I'm not just waiting, I'm filling out applications, sending resumes, making phone calls. It's all a bit draining on the mental energy.

All of this on top of the rejection and not measuring up.

I wound around the trails considering my options. Recalculating my savings to figure out how much time I have before the money dries up. I feel a twinge of guilt that I am riding, but what else could I do? Sit at home waiting?

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

We went camping this weekend. When we got there on Sunday, there were only 2 spots left. They put us on Hardtimes Loop.....fitting. We hung out and went for a hike. Watched the beaver swim around the lake catching things to eat.

Hobo dinners, Jubal loved it, very tasty and healthy.

We sat around the fire. Nolan and Clark stopped by for smores. Cool friends.

Waffle House for breakfast then back to the site before packing it up, driving 15 minutes then hanging at home. Pretty cool to have prime camping right down the road.

The job search continues. I'm might be looking for a 3rd shift warehouse/ factory position. That would help with our after school scheduling conflicts with after school etc., among other things.

Friday, September 03, 2010

Today I became a tourist. I've been downtown a lot but never did the tourist thing of wandering around. After taking Jubal to school on the bike, I headed out on my own little adventure. I didn't plan a route outright, I just kind of rode.

I ended up following Amboy Rd, and passing Carrier Park where there were hordes of people in blue shirts painting the Mellowdrome. I stopped to find out what was up, and ended up joining in. It was United Way Day of Caring. There were volunteers from numerous area companies helping out. That's really cool, I picked up a paintbrush and joined in.

After a couple of hours of that I moved on, rode up into West Asheville, stopped by Second Gear and chatted with Buffalo. Then I headed into Asheville, to Pritchard Park where I consumed an all beef hot dog " all the way": chili, cheese, and slaw. Delish.

Heading north up Merrimon Ave, I stopped by Youngblood Bicycles and saw that our picture is still hanging on the wall of fame in the front window. Swank 65 2 years ago!!

I pedaled on through the sunny day, making my way to UNCA to say hello to Nolan, the outdoor program director. Stopping by the little nature center store, to fill up my bottle I rode back into town, up Lexington Ave, finding my way over to Biltmore Ave through town, to Biltmore, following the Swannanoa River upstream and finally back into my own neighborhood.

It was a good time to wander, to think about the past and the future.

I went home to surf the net and brainstorm about my future, coming up with a few leads but nothing solid.

5:30pm rolled around and I rolled out the door, kitted up, heading to the Liberty Ride. I was looking forward to some camaraderie, some venting and some encouragement. I got just that, in addition to repeated lactic acid buildup. I hadn't been able to make the ride last week due to over-training. It was good to be back. Somehow on the Parkway, I ended up on the front, pulling 12 guys. I signaled and pulled off, drifting back, greeting each one as the smoothly passed me on my right. I relished the moment and relaxed. It was a good day for a ride....or two.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Eyes up, looking ahead, moving forward. I'm not gonna look back and wish things had gone differently. The Creator has something in the works and I need to embrace patience in a way that I never have before.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotion and I posted some "gray area" things. I removed them, because I felt it was the right thing to do. A close friend gave me some good advice: " If you don't think you should, then don't do it". I need to tattoo that on the back of my hand.

It's a strange situation I am in. New to me, but not new overall. I have been contacted by several friends who have gone through almost the exact situation. They shared with me and encouraged me to keep looking forward.

I feel rather calm for the moment. I feel success just in soaking that up. In the past, I would have gone to the extremes of anger, depression and more. But now, I'm looking for the sun to come up, signaling a new day, mentally and physically.

I wait in anticipation each day, wondering if today will be the day, the phone call comes and I land my dream job. I'm not sure what my dream job is, but it involves bikes and helping people. That could go a lot of ways.

World Bicycle Relief/Siren Bicycles Team Member, January 2007-Present. Volunteer time coordinating fundraising activities for World Bicycle Relief in Asheville, NC, area. Includes mountain bike racing on behalf of organization and sponsor, sponsor representation

YMCA after school counselor, October 1997-May 1998

Bethel Bible Village House Parent, Hixson, TN, January 1997-October 1997. Responsible for eight teenagers in the home, teaching social skills, basic housekeeping/ cooking skills, supporting the house structure and consequence system, transporting youth to activities, doctors appointments and more.

Education

Toccoa Falls College
Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministries, concentration in camping; focus on group therapy.